The Asian Conference on Sustainability, Energy and the Environment 2013

Official Conference Proceedings Osaka, Japan

Energy Efficient Building Design: Revisiting Traditional Architecture

Naseer M A

National Institute of Technology Calicut, India

0526

The Asian Conference on Sustainability, Energy & the Environment 2013

Official Conference Proceedings 2013

iafor
The International Academic Forum
www.iafor.org

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The Asian Conference on Sustainability, Energy and the Environment 2013
Official Conference Proceedings Osaka, Japan

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The Asian Conference on Sustainability, Energy and the Environment 2013
Official Conference Proceedings Osaka, Japan

1. Introduction

Energy Efficient design of buildings and their operations are becoming more and
more important in the world. A building is a system that is linked to its surrounding
environment and is subject to a range of interactions between the external conditions
and the indoor comfort condition. Buildings are major consumers of energy in both
their construction and operation. They account for 40% of world’s energy use. It is
estimated that 40-60% of this goes for heating and ventilating the indoors.

Modern architecture - to a large extent - does not respect the environment in creating
built spaces. Often, the indoors thus created are not comfortable and require artificial
means to condition them. These artificial systems are causing significant
environmental problems across the globe.

Traditionally, the buildings were designed for the most comfortable indoors condition,
irrespective of the outdoor hostile environment. Environmental factors have been a
major determinant in the development of traditional architecture. Traditional built
forms have been developed on the principles of passive design by continuous process
of experimentation and improvement.

Study of traditional architecture proves that it is possible to create a built space that
respects the environment by natural means through a judicious design that is
sustainable.

This paper reviews the concepts of passive design and the sustainable practices in
traditional buildings from different countries and discusses the findings of a research
conducted in South-Indian peninsula.

2. Energy Consumption: Global Scenario

The International Energy Outlook 2013 (IEO2013) projects that world energy
consumption will grow by 56% between 2010 and 2040 [1]. Much of the growth in
energy consumption occurs in countries outside the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) known as non-OECD, where demand is
driven by strong, long-term economic growth. Energy use in non-OECD countries
increases by 90 percent; in OECD countries, the increase is 17 percent. The share of
residential sector in the energy consumption in the year 2011 is 22% as compared to
31% by the industrial sector, which is the largest consumer [2]. Growth in population,
increasing demand for building services and comfort levels, together with the rise in
time spent inside the buildings is today a prime objective for energy policy at regional,
national and international level [3]. Among building services, HVAC systems uses the
maximum energy [2,3].

The growing concern worldwide for environmental conservation calls for immediate
intervention in making buildings energy efficient thus reducing the energy
consumption. Energy efficiency in buildings can be achieved through a multipronged
approach involving adoption of energy efficient building design, use of
energy-efficient building systems and low energy materials coupled with reduction of
transportation energy, and effective utilization of renewable energy sources to power
the building [4].

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3. Energy Efficient Building Design

The concept of energy efficiency in building design is related to the energy required
to achieve desirable environmental conditions that minimize energy consumption [5].

The most important design parameters affecting indoor thermal comfort and energy
conservation in buildings are the following [6]:
1. Orientation of the building
2. Building form
3. Size and position of openings
4. Thermal performance of the building envelope

3.1. Orientation of the building

The level of direct solar radiation received on the building facade depends on the
azimuth in the wall, and thus, on the orientation angle of the building [7]. The
orientation of the facade also influences other parameters of passive design, such as
shading or the performance of the solar envelope [8, 9].

3.2. Building form

Heat exchange between the external environment and the indoors occurs primarily
through the skin of the building. Configuring the geometry of the building suitably
can control the heat exchange. The ratio of the surface area to the volume (S/V)
determines the magnitude of the heat transfer in and out of the building. The larger the
S/V ratio, greater would be the heat gain or loss for a given volume of space. Hence
the overheating through the building surfaces could be minimized by keeping the
surface area to the minimum in tropical climate [10].

The shape of the building also plays a major role not only in terms of heat exchange
but also for ventilation due to wind effect. The pressure gradient created between the
windward and leeward faces of the building can induce air flow for better ventilation.
The building envelope could be suitably shaped for this effect [11].

3.3. Size and position of openings

Arrangement of openings on the external surfaces of the building can influence the air
flow indoors. The size of the openings both on the windward and leeward side can
induce and channelize the air flow as established in various studies [11, 12].

The size of the window openings is critical in tropical climate. The indoors in such a
climate require high rate of ventilation for the removal of perspiration due to higher
humidity. This may be achieved by increasing the size of the openings thereby
allowing a large volume of air to pass through the interior spaces. But the outdoor air
admitted in large volume can bring a lot of heat to the indoors as the outdoor air
temperature in such climate especially during summer (when the ventilation is most
essential) is more than the body temperature. This will
in turn create uncomfortable situation than a soothing one. Hence, this kind of
situation demands an optimum arrangement of openings in terms of size and
positions.

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3.4. Thermal performance of building envelope

The building envelope consisting of walls, roof, doors, and windows and the period of
the heating are the factors that have the greatest impact on the total energy
consumption of the building [13]. The envelope determines interior climate conditions,
and thus, the additional energy demand for heating and cooling [14].

The heat gain in the indoors is of major concern in the tropical climate especially in
summer as the outdoor air temperature is higher than the occupants’ body temperature
for a larger period of the time. The days are hotter and the air temperature drops down
only in the night, a few hours after the sunset.

Though there are means of reducing the heat gain by orienting the building suitably,
by modifying the building configuration and by arranging the internal spaces, the
indoors can still be at a temperature higher than the optimum. This situation demands
modification of the building envelope itself by incorporating various means of
thermal insulation. Thermal insulation of the building envelope can be achieved by
appropriate use of building materials and by employing suitable techniques of
insulation. Building thicker walls, cavity walls and use of infill are suitable for
reducing the heat gain through conduction. The roof of the building (the surface that
receive the maximum solar radiation) require special attention for suitable thermal
insulation. Roof with suitable external finishes for maximum reflection and thereby
minimum heat absorption, installation of insulative materials, use of cavity layers etc.
can be employed to reduce the heat flow indoors.

4. Lessons from Traditional Architecture

Contemporary architecture is frequently seen as the example of an internationalism,

which eradicates local traditions and transforms the globe into a faceless urban sprawl
[15]. It is often forgotten and even ignored that architectural traditions are rich in
content, given that they have found the right harmony between the necessities of
living, the environment, material resources and ideas on the use of space [16].

It is commonly acknowledged that traditional architecture represents local tradition,

culture and climates, thus the difference between regions lead to the diversity of
vernacular architecture. In despite of the diversity, traditional building around the
world share the common characters of energy-saving and environment friendly, which
are approached by local building material and climate responsive strategies etc. By
the fact that no electric power could be used to achieve thermal comfort in ancient
time, passive means are mainly applied in building to provide thermal comfort by
intellectual manipulation of spatial form and building elements which utilize the
advantages of climate or resist the disadvantages [17].

Studies on passive environment control methods of achieving thermal comfort in

buildings and studies for extracting methods and techniques from traditional buildings
have been conducted in various countries around the world. [19–25].

The following section gives an overview of a few selected studies conducted on

traditional houses from across the world. Among the available literature, only those
studies where the climatic parameters were actually measured on-site and analysed
have been presented.

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4.1. Japanese Traditional House

The indoor climate of a traditional house located in Hokuriku district was studied in
summer and winter. The three room type house called “Horiguchi” has mud walls and
floor and a roof with reeds [26].

Fig.1a (left): Japanese traditional house

Fig. 1b(top): Variation of temperature at indoors compared
to outdoor temperature

The observation proved that the temperature indoors was maintained between 240 and
280C while the temperature outdoors was between 23.50 C and 32.50 C.

4.2. Traditional Houses of Thailand

The study was conducted to compare the thermal performance of a contemporary

house with that of traditional houses from three different regions [27].

Fig.2a (left): Thai traditional house

Fig.2b(top): Indoor overheating in contemporary house
vis-a-vis traditional houses from different regions
It was revealed that the cooling load of the contemporary house was significantly
higher than the traditional houses.

4.3. Traditional Houses of Korea

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Traditional houses in Tumakgyp in Ullung island made of timber logs with mud infill
provide a very comfortable indoor environment from a snowy and cold outdoor
climate [28].

Fig.3a (top): Korean traditional house

Fig.3b(right): Indoor temperature at different
locations in comparison to outdoor

The highly insulative building envelope made of wooden logs is responsible for the
indoor environment

4.4. Traditional Malay house

Malay houses are designed to respect nature. The stilted houses made of timber and
roofed with locally available coconut leaves and hay are best suited for warm-humid
climate [29]

Fig.4a (left): Traditional Malay house; Fig.4b(right): Indoor temperature at different locations in
comparison to outdoor

4.5. Traditional houses of Turkey

Traditional houses of Diyarbakir in Turkey are typical examples of buildings adapted

to a hot dry climate. These houses are built around a courtyard [30]. The walls are

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made of basalt stone and the roof is of timber. The arrangement of the blocks around
the court and the semi-open room are carefully designed for cooling for the hot dry
climate. The orientation and interior plans shows that dominant hot period conditions
were considered in the design of the buildings. The compact and low buildings with
small courtyards provide protection from solar radiation and shelter from hot dusty
winds. The massive buildings with a high volume to surface ratio are advantageous
since this will reduce the high range of external air temperatures between night and
day.

It is not surprising that these studies conducted in different parts of the globe have
returned similar kind of results proving the efficiency of traditional system in
maintaining the required comfort conditions indoors irrespective of the outdoor
conditions prevailing at various times of the year [31].

In order to understand the performance of traditional architecture in providing

sustainable solution, a detailed investigation was conducted on traditional residential
buildings of Kerala, located at southern end of Indian peninsula.

5. Traditional buildings of Kerala

The land of Kerala lies between the Arabian Sea on the West and the Western Ghats
on the East stretching from 80180 to 120 48’ N Latitude. It’s warm–humid climate is
characterized by heavy rainfall and high relative humidity, and relatively moderate
temperature. The monthly normal climate is given in Table 1 [32]. Temperature vary
from 210 C to 330 C and relative humidity (RH) varies from 65% and will be above
70% in most of the seasons.

The traditional houses of Kerala are built according to the principles of Vaastushastra,
the Indian discipline on architecture [33]. The basic module of traditional house is
known as nalukettu with four blocks built around an open courtyard. They are
generally rectangular or square in plan with blocks topped with a sloping roof on all
four sides while the courtyard is left open to the sky for letting air and light inside.
There is an internal verandah around the courtyard for protection from rain and sun. A
typical layout of a traditional Kerala house is shown in Fig. 5.

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Fig. 5: A typical layout of traditional Kerala house

Depending on the size and importance of the household, the buildings may have one
or two storey or further modules with enclosed courtyards. The enclosed courtyard is
usually sunken. The verandahs opening to the courtyards prevent the intense solar
radiation entering the rooms. The roofs have steep slopes up to almost 450 and the
gables are provided at the ends of roof to enhance ventilation and to allow the warm
air to escape. The attic space that is formed by the wooden false ceiling over the
rooms is ventilated.

5.1. Energy Efficient Characteristics of Kerala Traditional Building

The traditional houses of Kerala are designed strictly based on the parameters of
energy efficient design. The principles followed in their design are explained in detail
in the following section.

5.1.1 Orientation of the building

The traditional houses of Kerala are oriented strictly according to the cardinal
directions as per Vaastushastra. This makes them more perfect to control its
environment with maximum comfort in different seasons. The cardinal directions are
determined correctly using traditional techniques based on solar path and shadows
[33]. The entry to the house is provided from South or East. The spaces that are used
during the day time are mostly placed on the North and South sides while those used
during the nights are on the West.

The positioning of spaces is very much important in spatial planning. The living
spaces which are semi-open are on the Southern side with optimum number of
openings for ventilation. The rooms are positioned on the western side in order to
capture the prevailing wind from the south-west. The kitchen is positioned at the
North-East corner of the house as the wind from south-west would help to drive the
hot air from kitchen to the outside and prevent spreading to other spaces. All other
spaces are arranged around the courtyard in such a way as to permit adequate air
movement in all seasons wherever required.

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5.1.2 Building Form

The traditional houses are generally rectangular or square in plan with blocks topped
with a sloping roof on all four sides arranged around a courtyard that is left open to
the sky for letting air and light inside. An internal verandah is provided around the
courtyard for protection from rain and sun. The internal functional spaces can be
suitably arranged depending on the requirement of such spaces for heating, cooling or
ventilation. For example the spaces such as store which is not habitable can be placed
on the face of the building that is subject to heating and spaces such as toilets and
kitchen that require the ventilation and removal of foul air or fumes can be placed on
the leeward side so that they do not vitiate other indoor spaces.

5.1.3 Size and position of openings

Most of the traditional houses in Kerala are set amidst large parcels of land. Hence
they are opened up for better air movement. Open planning and free spaces between
houses help to capture wind and achieve good ventilation. They have large number of
openings in the form of windows and ventilators. Provision of open or semi-enclosed
spaces also gives ample scope for air movement. Another remarkable feature in the
traditional architecture of Kerala is the provision of open gables in the roof and the
provision of wooden jalli in the external walls at appropriate positions. These wooden
jalli in the external walls helps to draw external air with the effect of courtyards.

5.1.4 Thermal performance of building envelope

The thermal insulation in Kerala traditional houses is achieved by the effective use of
materials and the techniques used in the construction of walls and roof. The external
walls of traditional houses are usually very thick up to a maximum of 750 mm with
double layer of laterite masonry with a gap in between that is filled with fine sand.
This makes the external wall highly insulative. In order to achieve thermal insulation
from the roof, wooden ceiling (tattu) is also provided beneath the roof. This provides
a large air space at the attic which acts as an insulation layer against the conduction of
external heat through the roof. Further, the breathing space that exists between the
clay roofing tiles helps in ventilating the underside of the roof reducing the
temperature.

5.2 Discussions on the Outcome of the Investigation

The investigation showed a very low diurnal variation of indoor temperature (260 to
300 C) compared to that of outdoor ambient air temperature (220 to 340 C) due to high
thermal insulation property of the building envelope. The absence of conductive heat
gain and time lag between outdoor and indoor air temperatures proved the thermal
insulation property of the building envelope and the high degree of natural ventilation
maintained through the building.

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Fig 6. Indoor temperature at different locations in comparison to outdoor

The air movement recorded clearly showed that the building system was maintaining
a continuous and controlled air flow indoors. This accelerates the evaporative cooling
by continuous exchange of air that is in contact with the occupant’s body especially
when the RH is higher (77 to 84%) along with high temperature. This was achieved
due to the influence of internal courtyard.

The building was thus able to provide a condition well within the comfort region of
the bioclimatic chart and very near to the comfort zone. The PMV-PPD analysis also
confirmed the effectiveness of the passive control system of traditional building in
providing the comfortable indoor environment during various seasons of the year
[34].

6. Conclusion

Traditional built forms have been developed out of constant and continuous process of
experimentation and improvement for more perfect solutions. Traditional architecture
throughout the world thus gives us sustainable solutions with minimum adverse
impact on the environment while providing the most energy efficient built
environment. The researchers in the field of energy efficient and sustainable design in
various parts of the world are therefore extracting the time tested sustainable design
techniques embedded in the traditional architecture. This paper reveals the passive
control system of traditional architecture of Kerala in providing thermal comfort to
the occupants that is highly energy efficient.

In the context of modern architecture that does not respect the environment to a large
extent by creating spaces that are not really comfortable, but later on conditioned by
using artificial means, a judicious use of suitable traditional techniques using
appropriate materials is required for a sustainable, energy efficient and comfortable
human life. Therefore it’s time to revisit the traditional wisdom that was probably lost
in a haste to blindly follow that was modern.

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